Asia Economics Update Rough end to the year for Asian markets Emerging Asia’s financial markets have not escaped the latest turmoil unscathed, but they have fared better than other EM regions. 18th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's tourism recovery underway, but headwinds persist Thailand's tourism sector, which was a key growth driver before the most recent political crisis, finally looks to be on the mend, and should add much-needed support to the economy going into 2015... 18th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thai rates to stay low to support growth The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left interest rates unchanged at 2.0% today against the backdrop of gradual improvement in the economy. With price pressures benign, we think the BoT will look to keep... 17th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korean interest rates to remain on hold until late 2015 Rising levels of household debt suggest further rate cuts by the Bank of Korea, which today left interest rates on hold at 2.0%, are unlikely. In fact, with GDP growth set to accelerate in the coming... 11th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand set for prolonged rate pause The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept its policy rate at 3.5% today and suggested rates will be left on hold for some time. We doubt the central bank will raise rates again before Q3 of next... 11th December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's first rate hike still a long way off The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) provided no surprises in its monetary policy decision today, keeping its policy rate at 2.5% and once again signalling that it has no intention of changing its... 2nd December 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Limited impact from Chinese rate cut Financial markets in Emerging Asia have on the whole had a fairly quiet month despite the recent Chinese rate cut and the expansion of the Bank of Japan’s programme of quantitative easing. 28th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Where next for interest rates in Indonesia? Today’s 25 basis point rate hike by Bank Indonesia (BI) is a direct response to yesterday’s government decision to hike subsidised fuel prices. While we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of another... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia-China FTA will help rebalance Australia’s economy Australia signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with China yesterday that will give its exporters a surprising amount of access to China’s market. The biggest opportunities lie in the agriculture and... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rate hikes in Indonesia unlikely despite subsidy cuts Today’s move by Indonesia’s new president to hike fuel prices is an encouraging first step on the road to reform. Although inflation is now likely to rise sharply, any spike should prove temporary... 17th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan rate cut not the start of aggressive easing The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) cut its policy rate by 50bp to 9.5% over the weekend, having been encouraged by a recent drop in inflation. But with inflation set to rise again over the coming months... 17th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Bank Indonesia to keep rates on hold well into 2015 Bank Indonesia (BI) left interest rates on hold again today despite the ongoing weakness of the economy. A large current account deficit and an uncertain outlook for inflation mean rates are likely to... 13th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Korean interest rates to remain on hold until mid-2015 The decision by the Bank of Korea (BoK) to leave interest rates on hold today at 2.0% comes despite the recent weakness of the Japanese yen against the won, which had led to some calls for more rate... 13th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s policy rate to stay on hold until mid-2015 Against a backdrop of softer domestic growth and weakening exports, the Malaysian central bank (BNM) unsurprisingly kept its policy rate on hold at 3.25% today. As the accompanying statement took on a... 6th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's monetary policy to stay accommodative With the economic recovery still in the slow lane, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) unsurprisingly held its policy rate at 2.0% at its meeting today. As inflation is unlikely to emerge as a major policy... 5th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia's first rate hike further off than most expect The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its policy rate on hold at 2.5% today and provided no surprises in its policy statement either. Once again it said that “the most prudent course is likely to... 4th November 2014 · 1 min read
